More people are  been caught by police with offensive weapons.

A total of 366 cases of weapons possession were reported in Dorset last year, a rise from 319 in 2022.

In the Community Safety Partnership Area of Dorset, there was a rise in reported cases of weapons possession by 52 per cent from 97 to 147.

For Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, there was a two per cent drop in weapons possession, down from 216 to 212 cases.  Additionally, there were seven unassigned cases to areas in Dorset.

Data from Dorset Police shows a 16 per cent rise in knife crime across the county for 2023

Dorset Police recently took part in Operation Sceptre, a week-long national campaign which raises awareness around knife carrying and knife crime.  

During the Sceptre intensification weeks, the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) worked with Border Force to crack down on the importation of illegal weapons.

Officers carried out 15 visits across the South West to people who bought weapons online, which included flick knives, karambits (a curved Asian knife), butterfly knives and swords.

Deputy Chief Constable of Dorset Police, Rachel Farrell, said: “While Dorset has seen a rise in crime of 16 per cent relating to possession of offensive weapons, it is important to recognise that this relates to an increase of a small number of crimes – 47 – compared to the previous year."

“This trend has been mirrored nationally with a six per cent rise and a 13 per cent increase across the South West.

“Over the last few years the Force has placed a real focus on diverting people away from knife crime and reinforcing the dangers of carrying knives through initiatives such as Operation Sceptre, Operation Scorpion and the ongoing partnership educational work carried out by our Safer Schools Teams.

“We also continue to run proactive operations to identify and search people suspected of carrying weapons with the key aim of preventing serious violence and keeping people safe.

“I would like to reassure our communities that we will continue to utilise the policing powers we have available, such as stop and search, to ensure we identify those carrying weapons and remove them from the streets.”